Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Before Sweden joined the European Union in 1995 the food prices were so high in comparison that families on holiday loaded their cars with everything that could be taken there without cooling it permanently. Cereals, sausages and juice was simply taken from home.
Continue reading “Food prices”
A unique opportunity to explore Småland is to take a narrow-gauge train from Hultsfred to Västervik, Sweden. The track is 71 kilometers long, was officially in use from 1879 to 1984 and it has a width of 891 mm. At Hultsfred the tracks are located next to the normal railway tracks and at Västervik you can see combined tracks with three rails. Continue reading “Rälsbus”
The Naturum and the Västerviks Museum at Västervik, Sweden were a very positive surprise. We went by narrow-gauge train from Hultsfred to Västervik – but what to do there? Then I found these two museums on the Internet and decided to give them a try. They are located 20 minutes on foot away from the railway station on a rock called Kulbacken. It is located on the other side of the bay but there is a road and a path leading there. Continue reading “Naturum & Västerviks Museum”
The contrast couldn’t be bigger: Germany is a country where people love to pay with cash – Sweden is a country that consistently gets rid of cash and card payments are possible nearly everywhere. One could discuss the effects on society if cash payments aren’t possible anymore – and there are positive and negative ones – but what does this situation mean for a traveler? Continue reading “Cash or card?”
In Sweden and Finland they love to paint their buildings red using a color called Falun red – named after the place in Dalarna where the ingredients are gained from copper mines: Falun. In the mid of the 18th century most copper in Europe came from that region. And when they tried to use the remains from copper production it soon became clear that they could be used as dye. Continue reading “Faluröd”
If you read the tales written by Astrid Lindgren as a child then this theme park at Vimmerby, Sweden is a paradise for you. For every story there is an area that looks like the scenery for it. Half of the time scenes are staged and the rest of the time you can explore the stage and meet your favorite characters in person. Continue reading “Astrid Lindgrens värld”
Astrid Lindgrens stories about the young prankster Emil (in German: Michel) from Lönneberga are famous throughout the world. If you are close to Vimmerby, Sweden you can visit the place that was used to shoot the films according to the books. The Katthult from the movies is a nice place for a stop. Continue reading “Katthult”
I must admit I never read The Six Bullerby Children by Astrid Lindgren – but the visit to Bullerbyn which is identical with the small village Sevedstorp near Mariannelund, Sweden was quite a pleasure. You can see the three lined-up houses only from the outside – but there are some small attractions around. Continue reading “Bullerbyn”
The stories of Astrid Lindgren are inspired by the Swedish landscape and often they are also located at Småland – you can find a lot of well known names from the stories on the map surrounding Vimmerby, Sweden. And for sure these Region as also been used to shoot the movies according to the books. Continue reading “Filmbyn Småland”
When we tried to book an away home in Sweden I had the feeling that most people seem to book their house more than a year in advance. There where no ideal houses available in the right size and located at a lake – as I was thinking was the best thing. Continue reading “Beyond civilization”